Wichita eagle., 1887-12-28
A BOOK WORMS DEN.
THE QUEER PEOPLE WHO HAVE A
MANIA FOR OLD VOLUMES.
How the Habit of Book Buying Grows
and is Cultivated by Book Sellers.
Rare Books.

II mere goes one OF the most confirmed
book worms in the city Of New York, y
said a clerk in big Broadway book store
the other day as an old man with be-
nevolent looking face and long white hair
passed cut of the store with two very old
| and very valuable books under his arm.
His face bore look of contentment and
/ he seemed to be satisfied with himself
and all the world. | watched him until
he boarded Broadway car and sat down
TO gloat over his latest possessions The
! sight was fascinating, and | gazed at the
fast disappearing car until the voice of
the clerk called me back from mental
vision Of old muSty shelves filled with
older and muster books. whose bindings
time has fringed and scalIoped with gen
erOuS hand.
Rather interesting to look at 4 real
! book worm, isn't it?'' said the clerk.
You hear people call each other bool,
/ worms simply because they are ALWAYS
reading, but they are not true, mustv
. smelling book worms. What are they?
What's the genuine article2 Wei. I'll
tell yoU. genuine book worm is a man
or woman (which latter is rarely the case)
who goes 10 a book store once or twice a
week, without knowing just what he
wants. lie has no definite idea of buving
/ anything, but before he knows it he has
one or two good books They come to see
II anything new has been received; if 50.
and II is interesting, they buy it, and
never object to the price As rule they
are men past middle age bur there are
some yOJn. men who are studying for
profession, but they usually buy only
those books which treat OF the profession
they are studying. Then we have some
doctors and lawyers who are confirmed
book worms Altogether ! think there
are about $50 book worms in New York.
and about eighty of them are regular Gus
toners of ours. =
strange fact in connection with book
worms, the clerk said was that thev very
seldom visited the public libraries. They
think that if Il book is interesting enOrob
to read it is interesting enough to buy.
and buy it they do, even if they have to
deny themselves the necessaries of life to
raise money enough TO get the book.
Bpt are they not great and insuffer-
able bores," | asked the clerk, as I
thumbed disreputable looking copy of
an old Latin prayer book that bore the
date 1870. TIE clerk smiled.
''Bores? ! should say 10 / do not
think there IS bookseller III this city
who would be hard hearted ci.ough TO
discourage book worm that paws him
professional visit. In fact, they will
gladly put up with the worms uuips
and fancies in order to have his trade
Why, / know a bookseller who refused to
sell an old Bble-one that was yellow
with age-iust because ne saw a worm
I,1 - 81, 4 l.
right The worm bought the Bible and
now is a regular customer. It's pity.
too, for he spends every cent he can get
for books, old books, new books. and
books, books, books seem to be the only
things he lives for "
While speaking of book worms in gen
eral, All old man entered the store, fol
lowed by younger one The old man
looked musty himself and the clerk
whispered:
There is one of the antiQuarians-a
genuine worm. That young man is a
worm, too. Now, if we approach him
gently, | think the Old gentleman will
give You some tips. He's one OF the most
confirmed worms | ever saw, and. al
though he wears shabby clothes, he lives
fairly well. lie spends fully $1,000 g
year on books and manages to live Oh
from S40O TO $500 He's genuine. -
The old gentleman was introduced. and
talked freely about his hobby, winding up
by inviting me 10 inspect his collection.
As left, the clerk said: Now, you'n see
$4,000 worth of books Don't ask too
many questions, and when ne gets started
keep quiet and listen to him. He'll tell
you all he knows
The Old gentleman was CheSterfieldian
in his pOliteness, and as gallant as the !
knights you read about in the medieval
ages. Uptown in ,he elevated to One
Hundred and Twenty-1fth street we went, /.
and then to One Hundred and Thirty /
second street near Eighth avenue Here /.
is little two-etory building and this was
the book worms home The old gentle
man apolOgized for his untidy house, and |
conducted me 10 his ''den. =; q room in the !
second story. Books and books and /
books, Did ! ever see so many books out ,
side OF a book store? What jolly mid /
night lunches the worms and the mice f.
and the moths must have among those .
musty, time decorated, dust hidden vol /
umes. / would live in One Hundred and .
Thirty-second street near Eighth avenue
were a mouse. The little old man looked .
as dried IN and as mustY as his books.
lie picked up a volume with beech wood
covers. There were faint lines on the .
covers-lines that looked rs if they had
been traced there by some hand. which
was now like the dust that covered the
book. The lines were ghastly in their
fantastic tracery.
This is Bihla Sacra Latina he said.
at was printed in Venice, and is what
they usually call Monk Latin. It is very
-. n
Old. The date is i4Sj. Look inside. Il
is my prize. You see the initials are
drawn by hand in red, blacl, and blue ink
They are bright. They used good ink in
those days
The book was indeed treasure. The
pages were not numbered ana the text IS
IN sections in the center Of each page.
these are various interDreta-
tions by the monk who aid the illuminat-
ing Of the initials.
Here said the worm. smiling. is
book / prize next % MY 'Bibia Sacra Lati-
ma Ii Is. As you see. q copy of O dis
course in Latin By Zwingii. the Swiss
reformcr. Il is bound in parchment. Ii
was printed in 1880 and the woodcuts are
very fine for that time. | wouldn't part
with it for the world. Here between The
covers Is q lock Of hair and a letter to me
dated in june. 1924. and signed Mary
That was before I married her, ana it Is
love letter She's dead now and-well.
I'm getting old, So next month-and III
soon be with her ] wonder who Will get
my boOkss' Tears Ciistened in the old
mans eyes, and ! stole away and left him
10 his memory and his bookS.-''Mr. X
in New York Star